Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Twelve people have died and twenty more were wounded following the collapse of a wall in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. At the time of the collapse Tuesday, the wall was supporting a shed under which residents were seeking shelter from heavy rain.

“I have been told that a shed of my bungalow collapsed where daily wagers gather every day seeking work,” said police superintendent OP Pal. He is away from his house in Ambikapur, where the incident occurred, taking leave in Uttar Pradesh. Chhattisgarh authorities have promised Rs100 thousand (US$2.22 thousand, £1.39 thousand) to compensate each death, and Rs25 thousand (US$555.18, £346.92) for those injured.

The shed was used as a bus shelter. The victims had been hoping to travel out of town.

Ambikapur mayor Prabodh Minj said the 10-foot (3.05-metre)-tall outer wall &nbdash; built for security &nbdash; had been unmaintained for years. However, he attributes the cause of its collapse to the rainfall.